Feminine perspectives

"A Thousand and One Days: The Art of Pakistani Women Miniaturists" features 51 contemporary paintings by eight women artists who hail from Pakistan, where for centuries, women have been subservient to men.

Not surprisingly, then, many works explore of the tensions between traditionalism and modernism.

Another common theme centers around the image of the chaddar, the veil Islamic women use to cover themselves. Artist Shehrbano Qizilbash says she paints the chaddar white because the color represents for her "purity, loyalty, hope and dignity." For her, the chaddar "is a covering on the women's body, her mind, heart, eyes, even her soul and spirit."

The women represented in the exhibit live across the globe; some reside in Pakistan, while others live in Melbourne and New York City.

"A Thousand and One Days" runs through Dec. 11 at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, 900 S. Beretania St. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $7 general, $4 seniors, students and military and free to children 12 and under. Call 532-8700.

An untitled work by Mahreen Asif Zuberi, whose pieces in "A Thousand and One Days" are a narrative of her ovulation cycle.